Spurred By Ambition

In the third deep of Arc Prime, Vvlos Samrac XVII, the Baron of Letnev, has awaited the Days of Reckoning with ill-contained wroth. Ever since he slit the throat of his father at age 19, Vvlos has presided over a populace as near to revolt as to starvation. The Baron is keenly aware that the shadows may soon leap for his own throat, should he not manage to improve the lot of the Letnev and feed their ambition for glory and conquest.

With Wednesday’s release of Rex, the board game of negotiation, betrayal, and conquest, players around the world have commenced the bombardment of the galaxy’s capital city. If you haven’t yet picked up your copy, what are you waiting for? Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the story of the last days of the Lazax empire, while presenting players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities and exciting opportunities for diplomacy, deception, and tactical mastery. Today, we’re pleased to present a closer look at the Barony of Letnev, a society for whom ambition is surpassed only by a capacity for treachery.

Click the image above to view the Rex trailer (Quicktime, 32.7 MB). Also available on YouTube and the FFG Media Player.

His time is at hand

Baron Vvlos’s vast network of spies gave him just enough advance knowledge of the impending Sol attack on Mecatol Rex to prepare. His agents set to work infiltrating the city, working to establish a balance-tipping advantage at the first sign of violence.

The front and back of the Barony of Letnev’s Race Sheet. Click to see an enlarged view of the back.

Reflecting this foreknowledge and preparation, three of the Barony of Letnev’s special abilities involve acquiring additional Strategy cards (see Masters of Science and Technology, our preview of Strategy cards, for more). Not only do they begin with additional Strategy cards, but they receive an extra for each one they acquire in the Bidding Phase, and their hand limit is double that of other races!

Their propensity for intrigue and deceit is reflected by their first race advantage, however. The Barony of Letnev begins the game with four Traitor cards, while everyone else begins with one. Other races would therefore do well to carefully consider each attack against the Letnev; if the Letnev player reveals a Traitor card matching a leader he’s opposing in battle, the opposing army immediately loses all of its unit, and any committed Letnev forces escape the battle totally unharmed.

The assault has started. Will you rise above the chaos to claim dominance? Head to your local retailer and pick up your copy of Rex today!

Rex is a board game of diplomacy, conquest, and betrayal in which 3–6 players take control of great interstellar civilizations, competing for dominance of the galaxy’s crumbling imperial city. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the story of the last days of the Lazax empire, while presenting players with compelling asymmetrical racial abilities and exciting opportunities for diplomacy, deception, and tactical mastery.